Russia believes the dispute over Iran's nuclear activity can still be resolved through diplomacy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday after talks with his U.S. counterpart.

"We discussed Iran's nuclear program. We have the same objectives as our American partners - not to allow violations of the nuclear weapons nonproliferation regime, to eliminate the concerns about Iran's nuclear activity and to provide for full cooperation between Iran and the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"I'm sure we have the potential for further joint political and diplomatic efforts in this direction," Lavrov added.

Western countries accuse Iran seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, an accusation the Islamic Republic denies, saying it is only interested in civilian power generation.

Russia is seen as having softened its opposition to further sanctions against Tehran in recent months, but Lavrov rarely deviates from the position that diplomacy will resolve the standoff. The UN Security Council has already demanded Iran halt its enrichment uranium activity.

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti)